MANILA: The Philippines said the China Coast Guard blocked a Filipino supply vessel and damaged it with water cannon Saturday morning near a reef off the Southeast Asian country.
The Philippine military said the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months.The military released video clips that showed a white ship repeatedly dousing another vessel sailing alongside it with a water cannon. SPONSORED CONTENT Sabah revenue hits RM6.
Despite the attack, the damaged vessel and a coast guard escort ship that came to its aid later delivered its cargo as well as six navy personnel to the Filipino outpost, the military said in an update.The military also released another video clip which it said was taken after the water cannon attack and showed a Chinese vessel deploying “floating barriers to prevent further entry of any vessels in the shoal”.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement that the Philippine convoy “forcibly intruded into the area despite the Chinese side’s repeated warnings and route controls”, adding the Chinese carried out “control, obstruction and eviction in accordance with law”.“The Chinese Coast Guard is ready at all times to resolutely safeguard our country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Gan added.
The latest confrontation came four days after visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States stood by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally Manila against armed attack in the South China Sea.
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